Nigella sativa oil (NSO), commonly called black cumin, is used to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions. Researchers from University College London, in the UK, and King Abdulaziz University, in Saudi Arabia, studied the impact of this oil on patients with asthma.

Scientists divided 80 asthmatics into two groups of 40. One group was treated with 500 milligrams of NSO twice a day for four weeks. The other was given a placebo. The researchers used an asthma control score to measure improvement, along with pulmonary function testing and the level of blood eosinophils, disease-fighting white blood cells that indicate inflammation and allergic reaction.

The researchers found normal eosinophil levels and significant improvement in the average asthma control test score for those in the NSO group, plus improved pulmonary function, compared to the placebo group.

This article appears in the November 2017 issue of Natural Awakenings.